Tag Archives: Woodside on the Move

Tails were wagging this weekend in Woodside as dozens of four-legged members of the community took part in a spooktacular event.

Community organization Woodside on the Move celebrated its third annual “Woofside” Halloween Pet Parade on Saturday.

Dressed in costumes, the pets enjoyed a day filled with music, a parade with their owners, some also dressed up, and a costume contest.

Funniest costume went to a pooch dressed as a martini cocktail with three olives sticking out of a cone, a ballerina won best trick, a family of Ghostbusters won best matching pet and owner, and a Sons of Anarchy biker won best costume, according to Adrian Bordoni, executive director of Woodside on the Move.

Local elected officials are calling for a change in the law to prevent another child, like 8-year-old Noshat Nahian, from losing their life.

Noshat was crossing the street with his 11-year-old sister on the way to school at P.S. 152 in Woodside around 8 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 20 when a tractor trailer traveling southbound on 61st Street made a left turn onto Northern Boulevard, striking him with its rear tires, police said. He was taken to Elmhurst Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The driver, Mauricio Osorio-Palominos, 51, of Newark, N.J., who remained on the scene of the accident, has been charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of motor vehicle and operating vehicle in violation of safety rules, police said.

Osorio-Palominos was driving with a suspended license with multiple violations on his record during the accident, according to State Senator Michael Gianaris.

In response, Gianaris gathered with local officials, residents and advocacy groups at the site of the accident Monday to introduce legislation that would make it a felony if drivers with suspended licenses either seriously injure or kill someone with their vehicle. Under current law, a driver like Osorio-Palominos could be charged with a misdemeanor.

“The law needs to get tougher,” said Gianaris. “Those who have suspended licenses are twice as likely to kill somebody or injure somebody, or twice as likely to have major accidents, the law has to catch up with the data, we just need to get these people off the streets.”

Gianaris has also proposed the immediate impoundment of a vehicle’s license plate if it were being operated by someone with a suspended license.

“I have an 8-year-old son and it could have been my child, it could have been my son that was hit that Friday morning,” said Peralta. “And we need to send a loud message not only to the city but to anyone who does this, who rides without a license, that this is not going to be acceptable.”

“None of this should of happen, all of this could have been prevented,” said Van Bramer. “This school has been asking for a crossing guard at this location for months. [It’s] absolutely disgraceful that the administration did not provide the crossing guard when it was requested, when it was clearly needed. Anybody who has been on this street for more than five minutes knows that this requires a crossing guard.”

Advocacy group Make Queens Safer organized a traffic safety memorial and vigil at 61st Street and Northern Boulevard Sunday where Noshat’s family and hundreds of residents gathered to remember the 8-year-old and other victims of traffic fatalities.

A third grader was struck and killed by a truck at a Woodside intersection Friday morning as he was on his way to school.

Noshat Nahian, 8, was crossing the street with his 11-year-old sister around 8 a.m. when a tractor trailer traveling southbound on 61st Street made a left turn, striking him with its rear tires, police said.

He was taken to Elmhurst Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The driver, Mauricio Osorio-Palominos, 51, of Newark, N.J., who remained on the scene of the accident, has been charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of motor vehicle and operating vehicle in violation of safety rules, police said.

The child was a student at P.S. 152, located right where the accident occurred, according to Christian Amez, of Woodside on the Move, which operates afterschool programs at P.S. 152.

“Woodside on the Move joins the entire community in mourning the loss we all suffered this morning, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the young victim’s family, friends, and loved ones,” said Amez.

“It’s horrible. That poor mother,” said Lisbeth Jimenez, who has a son in fourth grade at the school.

“I feel scared to walk my son to school and even pick him up. Drivers don’t care about people,” she said.

COMMUNITY SERVICE: Christian Amez has worked with Woodside on the Move for about five years, starting as an aide in the afterschool program. He ultimately created his own year-long class, the “Business Enterprise” program. It teaches children, in grades four and above, various financial literacy and math skills. From learning how to create a budget, to understanding credit and loans, these students ultimately create their own business plans and professionally pitch them to community leaders.

Woodside on the Move has served the Community Board 2 district for over 30 years, providing youth and cultural development programs all across Woodside and its surrounding neighborhoods.

BACKGROUND: “I’m a first-generation American born in Queens. My family moved from Peru to Woodside, then finally Sunnyside,” said Amez. “Having grown up attending public schools in both neighborhoods (I.S. 125 and P.S. 150, respectively), the two are synonymous with home to me, so I spend a great deal of time getting to know my neighbors and participating in community outreach.”

BIGGEST CHALLENGE: “My biggest challenge here had to be one I shared with Woodside on the Move, and that was our rally in May 2012 to restore funding for the afterschool and summer programs we host at P.S. 11 and 152,” said Amez.

During this time he said he had never seen so many students, parents, and community members engaged in what was a collective time of need.

FAVORITE MEMORY: The outpouring of support during the 2012 rally became Amez’s favorite memory at the organization.

“Soon after, due to the efforts of our executive director, Adrian Bordoni, all our staff, and Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer, we succeeded in temporarily restoring funding. In the following months, even more support came from Congressmember Joseph Crowley, who donated hundreds of school supplies for the children to prepare for their upcoming school year,” said Amez.

INSPIRATION: “I went through a very transformational time while studying finance. A lot of businessmen and women dream of becoming CEOs or billionaires, but why create one success story when you can create many,” asked Amez. That is what inspired him to work at Woodside on the Move, where the organization can improve the future of the city locally from the ground up, starting with the children.

The war against graffiti in Queens is never ending, but Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer has no reservations about arming himself with a brush and leading the charge.

The councilmember united with CitySolve, a graffiti removal company, and residents of Woodside on November 1 to stand in opposition to the vandalism that has plagued the neighborhood.

During the demonstration, Van Bramer painted over graffiti at the corners of 57th, 58th, 63rd and 64th Streets along 39th Avenue.

“Vandalizing private property with graffiti is a crime against the individual who owns the property and the surrounding community,” said Van Bramer. “I am proud to fund this free, district-wide service which aims to eradicate graffiti in our neighborhoods. We can’t get every tag, but we’re certainly going to do our best to get those reported to us within a week. That can only enhance the quality of life in Woodside and throughout all of the neighborhoods I represent.”

The councilmember’s fight against graffiti began roughly a year ago, when he initiated his District 26 clean-up program. Now in its second year, the program has led to the cleaning of over 1,000 locations, including monthly graffiti removal on the corridors of Broadway, Skillman Avenue, 43rd Avenue, Roosevelt Avenue and Woodside Avenue. The initiative recently expanded to include 43rd and 48th Avenues as well.

As part of the program, residents of District 26 can also report graffiti anywhere in their community by calling 718-383-9566, ext. 3, and the unwanted vandalism will be removed within a week.

Along with funding the anti-graffiti program for $30,000 a year through the Sunnyside Chamber of Commerce, Van Bramer also supports graffiti clean-up days with groups like Sunnyside United Neighborhood Network, Woodside on the Move and the 114th Citizens Observation Patrol.

Residents of District 26 appreciate the efforts taken by Van Bramer, and they are hoping he can help rid the area of graffiti once and for all.

“I think graffiti can be demoralizing to a community,” said Sheila Lewandowski, a resident of Long Island City and a victim of graffiti. “You choose how you want the front of your place to look, and when someone vandalizes it without your permission, they are laying claim to its appearance, and I find that very demoralizing. I believe the councilmember’s anti-graffiti campaign is a very positive way to bring people together to reclaim the appearance of our community.”